What IS MMA?

[JohnnyB]

I disagree with the statement that years or training in a traditional martial art that gives you some self defence tools can help you fight in the cage.

Many TMA are not made to counter the popular combative martial arts like Kick Boxing and Muai Thai. That's the main reason these 2 are the top striking art choices for MMA fighters.

I'm kind of confused by this. I don't think Karate's techniques has any inability to counter these other styles. I don't think it has to do with that. I think it has more to do with the training methodologies.

Let me elaborate:

In traditional Shotokan, the kamae (fighting stance) is with hands on the abdomen height. In any confrontation with a decent kick boxer/muai thai fighter would get you destroyed very fast using this archaic fighting stance.

The prevalent use of linear punches makes for a lack of an effective toolset needed to fight a trained fighter.

Mawashi zuki aka hook punch is one of the rarest techniques in traditional shotokan while in other combative MAs its one of the prevalent.

The SKIF curriculum is very strict to the techniques taught per grade so we are missing effective ones that are excluded.

Finally the shotokan karateka needs to reach shodan or nidan in order to do free sparring and that includes examination sparring. (Again talking about the SKIF curriculum)

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for explaining further. That helps me understand what you are saying.

We don't really do hook punches as one of our basic techniques in TKD, but I've done them on my own for a long time, and I teach them when I get the chance to early on. I also preach a more hand's up fighting stance. These, I feel, are matters with simple solutions that would not terribly compromise what you would be doing in your Shotokan dojo.

[Alpha One Four]

Wouldn't most of us be Mixed Martial Artists? I think these schools should be called "Fighting" gyms. They teach the most effective way to fight within a specific set of rules. That's what all martial arts do, isn't it? I think "MMA" needs a specific name now.

[Dobbersky]

Wouldn't most of us be Mixed Martial Artists? I think these schools should be called "Fighting" gyms. They teach the most effective way to fight within a specific set of rules. That's what all martial arts do, isn't it? I think "MMA" needs a specific name now.

Totally agree. I don't think there's a pure style out there. Mine is a mix of at least 4 of the styles I practiced throughout the years, so although I state Ashihara Karate, its technically MMA.

[bushido_man96]

Wouldn't most of us be Mixed Martial Artists? I think these schools should be called "Fighting" gyms. They teach the most effective way to fight within a specific set of rules. That's what all martial arts do, isn't it? I think "MMA" needs a specific name now.

Totally agree. I don't think there's a pure style out there. Mine is a mix of at least 4 of the styles I practiced throughout the years, so although I state Ashihara Karate, its technically MMA.

I think that when the term MMA is mentioned, we all conjure up the same basic idea of what it is based on the exposure we've had of since the early 1990's. That said, I think what we have come to see from the UFC and other companies is this MMA product, so the term has kind of grown into the name of the style.

I think when you talk about other styles being "mixed" styles, though, you have to look at the extent to which that mix is taken, and how it mixes. I've learned different kind of joint manipulations from early on in my TKD career, and have extended that knowledge into Combat Hapkido and Aikido. But that doesn't really make me a "Mixed" Martial Artist like we think of in the sense of MMA. Honestly, nobody really cared about this "mixed" label until MMA really came into its own, and we saw the integration of standing and ground fighting like we have.

Finally, I think when it comes to the MMA label, the main consideration is in the training methodologies of the MMA athletes and gyms. They work on actively mixing all those components from the beginning, and the focus is on performance, and not rank. They have all the faculties available for the standing game and the ground game, with various coaches specializing in the different aspects, but the overall goal of the gym is the focus on MMA competition.

I really think what we have in MMA is the rebirth of Pankration. But, that name is already used now, too, so that leaves us just go with the name MMA, I think.

[Alpha One Four]

Wouldn't most of us be Mixed Martial Artists? I think these schools should be called "Fighting" gyms. They teach the most effective way to fight within a specific set of rules. That's what all martial arts do, isn't it? I think "MMA" needs a specific name now.

Totally agree. I don't think there's a pure style out there. Mine is a mix of at least 4 of the styles I practiced throughout the years, so although I state Ashihara Karate, its technically MMA.

I think that when the term MMA is mentioned, we all conjure up the same basic idea of what it is based on the exposure we've had of since the early 1990's. That said, I think what we have come to see from the UFC and other companies is this MMA product, so the term has kind of grown into the name of the style.

I think when you talk about other styles being "mixed" styles, though, you have to look at the extent to which that mix is taken, and how it mixes. I've learned different kind of joint manipulations from early on in my TKD career, and have extended that knowledge into Combat Hapkido and Aikido. But that doesn't really make me a "Mixed" Martial Artist like we think of in the sense of MMA. Honestly, nobody really cared about this "mixed" label until MMA really came into its own, and we saw the integration of standing and ground fighting like we have.

Finally, I think when it comes to the MMA label, the main consideration is in the training methodologies of the MMA athletes and gyms. They work on actively mixing all those components from the beginning, and the focus is on performance, and not rank. They have all the faculties available for the standing game and the ground game, with various coaches specializing in the different aspects, but the overall goal of the gym is the focus on MMA competition.

I really think what we have in MMA is the rebirth of Pankration. But, that name is already used now, too, so that leaves us just go with the name MMA, I think.

I suppose. It just seems weird to say "Mixed Martial Arts." I guess the translations of other martial arts sounds weird when you say it to. I like traditional MA because there are ranks. I have a stronger sense of accomplishment when I rise through the belts.

[Dobbersky]

Wouldn't most of us be Mixed Martial Artists? I think these schools should be called "Fighting" gyms. They teach the most effective way to fight within a specific set of rules. That's what all martial arts do, isn't it? I think "MMA" needs a specific name now.

Totally agree. I don't think there's a pure style out there. Mine is a mix of at least 4 of the styles I practiced throughout the years, so although I state Ashihara Karate, its technically MMA.

I think that when the term MMA is mentioned, we all conjure up the same basic idea of what it is based on the exposure we've had of since the early 1990's. That sathink what we have come to see from the UFC and other companies is this MMA product, so the term has kind of grown into the name of the style..............

I really think what we have in MMA is the rebirth of Pankration. But, that name is already used now, too, so that leaves us just go with the name MMA, I think.

Wow, that's my original thought of what MMA is, but didn't mention it as I thought it was just me. It's concept is truly conceivable. And I agree that MMA is definitely a product as opposed to an art form

[bushido_man96]

I suppose. It just seems weird to say "Mixed Martial Arts." I guess the translations of other martial arts sounds weird when you say it to. I like traditional MA because there are ranks. I have a stronger sense of accomplishment when I rise through the belts.

That's what they were designed for, really. When you can see your accomplishments recognized that way, it puts a sense of desire to achieve other goals in you as well. The belt system is basically a reward system, along with being a rank system.

Wow, that's my original thought of what MMA is, but didn't mention it as I thought it was just me. It's concept is truly conceivable.

Great minds think alike!

And I agree that MMA is definitely a product as opposed to an art form

We differ here. I don't think MMA is merely a product. I think it is an art form/style, just as much as any other out there. I think we've been fortunate as a society to be able to watch how this style evolved and developed right before our eyes into the style it has become today. That's part of what's exciting about MMA, to me. None of us got to see the process that took place when Funakoshi came to Japan from Okinawa and began to establish Shotokan the way he did. But, what he did isn't a whole lot different than the way MMA has changed along the way. But everyone excepts what we have in Shotokan as a style and somehow legitimate, but not as many people want to see what and how MMA is becoming what it is becoming and give it the same credence.

[ShotokanMaster]

MMA is Mixed Martial Arts Association MY teacher he teaches Shotokan and Kick Boxing that's Mixed Martial arts he even studied gojo ryu but he only teach us shotokan and muay thai on wed we have kick boxing classes its fun so im learning shotokan and kickboxing at same time if i wasnt small ill do MMA

[cheesefrysamurai]

Wastelander nailed it. He explained it far better then I could

As far as I can tell, there are three schools of thought on this:

1 - If you aren't teaching some combination of Muay Thai, BJJ, boxing and wrestling you aren't teaching MMA

2 - If you are teaching both striking and grappling of any type and helping students put it together, you are teaching MMA

3 - If you have never competed in MMA, you aren't teaching MMA.

I feel that the people in group 1 can be convinced what you are teaching is okay as long as you qualify for 2 and have competed in MMA (3) with success. In a way, what my dojo teaches is MMA--in addition to our Shorin-Ryu (which includes some locks and takedowns to begin with) my instructor has some eclectic jujutsu he has trained in and teaches, and we often incorporate MMA-style sparring with full striking and grappling. With that said, we don't teach MMA, at least by most people's definitions, because we don't teach Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling or BJJ and we have never competed in MMA.

Personally, I believe if you are training in two different arts (typically a striking-focused art and a grappling-focused art) and blending them together in your training and sparring, you are doing MMA.